WTF now has 100 posts, about 90 of which are recipes, lots more readers than I ever hoped for in four months and about 50000 words. I still can’t believe that it is possible to write so much in such a short time and yet I am delighted to have done so. What’s more I have done so whilst expanding my knowledge of how to eat well, and fast, every day of the week. When I come home these days, even if I’m not testing a recipe for the site, I still cook something from scratch even if it’s just a blue cheese and caramelised onion omelette. It has been, and is, a wonderful lesson in finding pleasure in a small but required daily task.

My favourite dishes are the chicken confit (fried chicken flavour without the fat), the kosheri (which I can’t wait to make again) and the thit heo keo. I have learnt that a quick bit of sauce- or condiment-making (salbitxada, coriander mojo and gremolata) is great for using up leftovers but also for making sure there is always something to eat. And, if I have learnt one thing above all others, it’s to grow some herbs. Having pots of rosemary, basil, thyme, sage and mint on my window ledge and terrace has reduced how much I spend on shopping, as well as how much I waste, and it means that even the basics like pasta or gnocchi sauces or roast potatoes can be made into something a little more, well, personal. Oh and before anyone says ‘but I can’t grow plants’ I am renowned for having the opposite of a gardener’s green fingers; what would that be, black fingers? So if I can, anyone can.

Now, before the cold weather really takes hold, I am taking a brief holiday. I am away, not only from my kitchen but also from my country and my computer, so for the next ten days I will be recharging my batteries, culinary or otherwise. I’ll be back at the end of the month full of new ideas and new recipes for the season of hibernation. Till then, que aproveche.